A Constitutional Right to Vote: The Promise of HJ Res 44, 1 - 1:45 PMDespite the fact that voting is the most fundamental element of a representative democracy, the Constitution does not explicitly guarantee a right to vote. This critical omission places voting rights at risk and disenfranchises millions of American citizens. FairVote staff will discuss:

House Joint Resolution 44, the Pocan-Ellison amendment for an explicit right to vote, and FairVote’s analysis of its language and impact - outlined this June 2013 memo

Supreme Court rulings on the Voting Rights Act and state voting rights protections

Growing energy for local resolutions backing the amendment and exploring how best to protect, promote, and expand suffrage at organizational, campus, and local government levels

Speakers: Board chair Krist Novoselic, executive director Rob Richie, attorneys Drew Spencer and Rais Akbar, staff members Patricia Hart and Devin McCarthy About FairVote: Guided by the principle that all voters should be able to participate meaningfully in every election, FairVote has been a voting rights and electoral reform leader since its founding in 1992 by former presidential candidate John Anderson and other reformers. FairVote gets at the heart of what ails our elections by researching and advocating systemic reform of our nation’s democracy, including the National Popular Vote plan for president, ranked choice voting (“instant runoff voting”), fair representation forms of proportional representation, and a right to vote in U.S. Constitution. (See its full 2020 reform agenda.) FairVote is a nonpartisan, nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization.